Boston is already less than two weeks away from opening its season in New York on Christmas Day, and Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen didn't hold back when speaking about the condensed preparation time.
Garnett even went as far as to call out the league's commissioner, David Stern, who hasn't had a fun go of it in the recent weeks and months.
"I think what you see, we're a rushed league right now," Garnett told reporters Tuesday, according to ESPN.com. "Everybody is paying attention to the Chris Paul situation. But I don't know why everyone's shocked, because Stern has been pretty adamant about when he wants to do things and how he does things."
Garnett also spoke about how having the league's schedule and proceedings rushed along will affect teams while the season rapidly approaches.
"Timing is everything," he said. "Chemistry is something that you don't just throw in the frying pan and mix it up with another something, then throw it on top of something, then fry it up and put it in a tortilla and put in a microwave, heat it up and give it to you and expect it to taste good. You know? For those of you who can cook, y'all know what I'm talking about. If y'all can't cook, this doesn't concern you."
Training camp and the preseason may be even more important for Garnett, who head coach Doc Rivers sees bouncing around some in the Boston frontcourt this season.
"We'll move Kevin," Rivers said recently. "He will play the 5 this year. I honestly don't think that it'll be a problem. When he was younger it would have been a problem."
Garnett isn't alone in his criticism for the way the league has gone about its business, as both Pierce and Allen also confessed to feeling rushed into getting things going.
"There probably should have been a period where you had a free-agent signing period and then training camp," Pierce said, according to ESPN.com. "Christmas Day was something that was really pushed amongst the players as a key day, and that's why we've rushed the way we've been rushing."
Despite their grievances, Garnett, Pierce and Allen don't sound like they're going to be making too many excuses once things get going.
"I feel very rushed," Allen said. "I can't say that I've been particularly happy with the way things have transpired over the last two or three weeks, but I think everybody is in a situation where we just have to do the best with what we have. We have to adjust to the situation at hand, and it's a challenge for all of us. We're all going through it, so there's nothing more you can do about it but prepare yourself physically and mentally."
The C's open their brief two-game preseason schedule on Dec. 18 in Toronto. They then return home to face the Raptors on Dec. 21 at TD Garden before opening the regular season on the road against the Knicks.
